Barry Larkin was the man. There was a reason for the big C on his jersey. The captain, the leader, the catalyst to one of the best teams in MLB history, the 1990 Cincinnati Reds.
The 1990 Reds were one of only a few teams in history to be in first place from the first to the last game of the season, joining the likes of the 1927 Yankees and the 1984 Tigers.
Larkin may be the most underrated baseball player of his era. Not only was he a class act, but he was also a perennial all-star. The 1990 Cincinnati Reds went wire to wire and capped it off with an unthinkable sweep of the mighty, steroid driven, Oakland A’s.
A career .295 hitter, he was actually known around the league as one of the best fielding shortstops in the majors. If it weren’t for Ozzie Smith and his monopoly on the Gold Glove award, he would have collected way more than three in his career.
The 1990 Reds weren’t quite the Big Red Machine of the 70′s, but pretty damn close. They had great hitters like Larkin, Eric Davis, Chris Sabo, Paul O’Neill, and Billy Hatcher who had one of the best world series’ of all time.
What about the the pitching? Just nasty.
Jose Rijo was the ace along with guys like Tom Browning, Danny Jackson and Jack Armstrong filling out a strong staff. Let’s get back to the nasty.
Do you remember the Nasty Boys? Norm Charlton, Rob Dibble, and Randy Myers. Are you kidding me?!?!! Teams didn’t have a chance against the Reds when a lead was turned over to that bullpen.
After being in first place all year, the Reds were up against a very tough team in the NLCS, the Pittsburgh Pirates. With the trifecta featuring Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla and Andy Van Slyke, the Pirates presented a formidable challenge. The Reds were able to dispose of them in six games.
Then came the World Series. The heavily favored Oakland A’s stood in the Reds’ way of a complete wire-to-wire season. Not a soul outside of Reds Nation gave them a snowball’s chance in hell of winning.
Confidence is a winning formula and that’s what the Reds brought to the table in a shocking four-game sweep. Rickey Henderson, Mark McGwire, and Jose Canseco didn’t know what hit them.
It’s amazing what you can achieve by believing in yourself. The 1990 reds, lead by a future hall of famer, Barry Larkin, achieved everything.
Those were the days. It's hard to believe once the Reds and Pirates were the strongest teams in the NL! – Todd Benzinger
Todd Benzinger was awesome. If I remember correctly, he caught the last out to win the World Series…
I remember the entire season, It was the perfect storm. All the players had a part in the championship. My favorite Red is Glenn Braggs. The first time I saw him, The game was on TV., against the Braves. From the centerfield camera angle, all I notice was this white glow from Braggs neck. As the camera focus in on Braggs, I realize the white glow was his white t-shirt, fitting around his thick neck. I knew right then this man was cool. I followed his career with the Reds like a hawk. Glenn Braggs is my all time favorite Red. The catch Braggs made against the Pirates is the reason why the Reds went on to win it all. If there had been a game 7. The Pirates were pitching their Cy Young award winner in Drabek.
These memories will be kept for the rest of their lives because ones in their life, they experienced victory and success.